Gambel's Quail

Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)

Place: Phoenix, AZ
Date: April 29, 2017, 11:52 am
Equipment: Nikon D7200, AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR @ 500mm, G1325, RRS BH-55
Exposure: ISO 800, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/250th @ f/5.6
Raw, PS CC 2017 on Mac, cropped to 74% of full frame

My apologies for yet another backyard shot - I just haven’t had the time or opportunity to get out much lately. But I am keeping the camera rig set up near the patio door for quick captures like this.

We feed the quail along with many other birds, and there are adult quail in the yard almost every day. We wait anxiously for the first quail family each April. We’ve had two family groups so far this year, with these chicks part of the first family (12 chicks total in this group). But over all the years that we’ve had chicks here this is the first time I’ve actually gotten any shots of them I like. They are little speed demons that dart around their parents and each other, making it difficult to get an accurate count of them.  This is the first time any of the chicks has managed to get up on the water feature, and it provided a chance to get them isolated and in focus long enough to get photos.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible please view the large version before commenting.